Pregnancy at 50 Symptoms: A Comprehensive Study

The idea of getting pregnant past the childbearing age has invoked both curiosity and interest in those concerned with the difficulty of not being able to become pregnant at the right age or having completely lost hope of becoming a mother. At other times, despite considering multiple artificial procedures would have ended up in failure with too much time, effort, and money spent in these attempts. Having stated so, the current article looks into the possibility of becoming pregnant as late as 50 years of age and the likely symptoms that cause the same. Additionally, this article also attempts to determine the chances of getting pregnant naturally at the concerned age of 50.

Pregnancy at 50 and Related Risks

People have generally known that late pregnancy, such as past 40 and even at 50, carries a lot of complexities. However, women in this age group are still excited about the prospect of becoming mothers. To hold a baby is indeed a matter of bliss for every new mother regardless of her age and often tends to forget the pain, difficulties, and complexities that she faced during her pregnancy, the last trimester especially. However, this does not mean that she should take these matters lightly, particularly the age at which she has become pregnant, and ultimately a mother

Mayo Clinic (2023) has conveyed and emphasized the significance of not ignoring the chances of facing overdue pregnancy when conceiving late. Since a normal gestational age lasts 40 weeks, pregnant women can’t just wait to hold their baby in their arms. While this is a natural tendency, prolonged pregnancy, and late delivery often meet it with dismay. To reiterate, overdue pregnancy, where delayed delivery takes place two weeks past the due date, is what is characteristic of late pregnancy, though one cannot absolutely or exactly vouch for this fact. This is because of what Mayo Clinic (2023) established regarding the possibility of early delivery, as well as confirmed by Cherney (2019) when specifying the various risks associated with becoming pregnant past 40 years, 50 to be exact.

Challenges and Considerations: Pregnancy at 50

Indeed, age has the potential to impact pregnancy, and when you become pregnant after turning 50. this does indicate that you could also be exposed to possible risks. As such, these include:

• Preeclampsia or high blood pressure may develop during pregnancy with life-threatening consequences if not heeded appropriately (Cherney, 2019).
• Diabetes in the gestational period.
• Risks during labor, requiring a Cesarean section.
• Miscarriages or abortion.
• Stillbirth.

Note that the introduction of technology-aided features in every aspect of the medical profession, particularly those employed in labor and delivery, has demonstrably proven highly effective in surpassing all aforementioned risks. Cherney (2019) once again observed this, highlighting how it saves both the mother and the baby.

Symptoms of Pregnancy at 50

Though a woman aged 50 has a high likelihood of conceiving, she should not overlook the signs and symptoms that may indicate she is reaching a menopausal state instead of being pregnant, as she claimed. Some of these have included mood swings and fatigue which can also be present as a period onset, added Cherney (2019).

The one thing that can hold surety in such a case is the absence of menopause, typically characterized by amenorrhea for more than 12 months. However, in whom, pregnancy has indeed occurred at the specified age of 50, this does entail a bulk of symptoms, such as missed periods, fatigue, bloating, cramps, insomnia and sleep disturbances, changing moods, weight change, and increased urination (Santilli, 2023).It’s important to note that late pregnancy at age 50 brings about significant physical changes for individuals, characterized by discomfort due to the requirement of carrying the baby in the womb.   

Is Natural Pregnancy Possible at 50?

Becoming pregnant at the age of 50 by natural means has been considered highly impossible, though the rarity of the occurrence cannot be excluded either. The explanation for this is the gradually decreasing quantity of eggs (ova) as a woman ages. Moreover, these eggs also lose their quality by the time she reaches 50 years of age. This statement does entail utilizing donor eggs to improve their chances of getting pregnant (Robinson, 2023). This, in turn, denotes that becoming fertile through natural means is not possible as asserted by the author. However, the author has also specified that using one’s frozen eggs will assist one to become pregnant. this would require artificial procedures to facilitate the purpose.

Challenges, Considerations, and Alternatives

In most exceptional cases, however, when women are undergoing proper ovulation. their eggs have the quality to be fertilized by sperm, their eggs can result in pregnancy. However, this should be before a woman turns 50 or is in her mid-40s, i.e., 45, conveyed Santa Monica Fertility (2023). Adding here as well, borrowing donor eggs to achieve pregnancy at 50 significantly subjects a woman to various types of complications.

This is the reason why surrogacy has become the most sought-after option for those older couples, who have exhausted all other assisted reproduction methods to become pregnant (American Surrogacy, 2019). In light of these facts, it would be wise enough to state here that attempting pregnancy at 50 through natural ways is rather impossible due to various factors including advanced age, inadequate ovulation, and poor quality of eggs.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Pregnancy at 50

Also Read: Signs Of Pregnancy After Menopause

Conclusion

Pregnancy at an advanced age is possible, though can accompany a myriad of symptoms and side effects that may or may not resemble menopausal symptoms. Children born of older parents are likely to perform better later on in their lives by displaying high IQ, ability to focus, and effectively socialize with peers. There are no reported natural means to become pregnant at 50 years or older, though the chances are rare. Surrogacy is the most preferred alternative when older couples find it difficult to become pregnant by other artificial methods, such as in-vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, etc.